Dead Days
by FF2400
Summary: Ritsu sets out to find her family in an apocalyptic world. How long can she survive, playing the good guy? What should she do to stop everyone from falling apart? Is there any way out of this at all? "Nightmares end." – Ritsu
1. Part 1: Miles Away

**Disclaimer(s): K-On! rightfully belongs to Kakifly** **© Alternate Universe.**

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 **Part 1: Miles Away**

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Mio's POV

"Babe, can you hear me? I'm sorry," I talked into the phone as I cradled our sleeping son, our only pride and joy. I did not want to hurt her yet it was all I ever did lately. I simply wanted her to have more time for us – _am I selfish_? "If you hear this, call me back." Shion purred softly in his deep slumber as I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. We were stuck in this traffic for two hours already. I smiled briefly the moment I saw Shun from afar. He was my best friend and we grew up together miles away from this big city – Kyoto. I was lucky that he was free to drive us. He seemed troubled somehow as he got into the car, starting it at once. "Fuck!" he cursed and with a much trembling hand he shifted the gear in reverse. I frowned at Shun as he stirred the car dangerously over the stream of traffic.

I tightened my hold on Shion as soon as I saw Shun rested his hand on the gear – _he's about to shift it forward_. "I want you to call her, Mio, I don't have a gun with me," he demanded all of a sudden while I nodded briefly in reply. He was a good friend of hers too and they were partners for a time until my wife was stationed in Shibuya, Tokyo – _the place where everything started to fall apart_. "Hurry up," he hissed as he rolled the steering wheel, making two complete turns. I shut my eyes out of fear all the time I felt the car went out of control but Shun kept it in check in time. _What's going on_? I thought as I dialled her and two missed calls later, she still seemed to be avoiding me. I ignored the stinging pain in my chest as I settled for a voice mail. "Help!" a loud screech stopped me in my track.

"Shun, they need help!" I pointed out the obvious as I saw some strangers waved at us relentlessly and most of them seemed disturbed – _something put them on their guard, but what_? "I can't believe you," I cried in disbelief the moment he kicked the gas pedal further, leaving them without second thoughts. I dropped my head slightly as they raised their middle fingers at us. Shun heaved a deep sigh while I could hardly comprehend his way of thinking just now. "Did she pick up?" he asked curtly and I only shook my head in reply. He cursed as he beat the steering wheel due to frustration. "Momma?" I looked down and I only offered my baby a small smile as he struggled to open his eyes, yawning every so often. "Is mommy coming?" he started to cry softly. _I hope she is_.

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"You two stay here," Shun claimed as he left the car to find a rubber tube so that he could siphon some petrol from the gas pump. I shifted uncomfortably in my seat whereas I glanced through the seemingly deserted gas station. It was getting too quiet and the fact that we did not come across any other car only left me with mixed feelings – fear, most of all. "Mommy's coming, right?" Shion cried as he eyed me tearfully. I nodded although I was lost in thought in the midst of doubt. "I didn't find any pipe or tube," Shun let out a low snort and he kicked off a nearby tin can out of anger. He then flinched shortly and he held up his switchblade right away. "I know you're here, whoever you are, you better show yourself," he insisted and a blonde suddenly emerged from the bush. She seemed to be bleeding.

"I don't want any trouble and I actually have what you want – the tube, right?" she spat and I watched as she looked into her bag, producing the very same item. Shun looked at me with doubtful eyes in which I proceeded to give him a small nod in return. "We'll take it but what's the catch?" he coincided as he fetched the tube from her at the same time. She was lost in thought as Shun hurriedly dissembled the gas pump. "I need a ride to Nara – I heard the FRS put up a refugee there," she laid and I immediately thought of my wife. _What if she's there_? "How many people you have?" he responded as he was busy dusting his hands. She turned around in return and in a flash, I caught a tiny girl peeking her head from the bush. I smiled a little at her as she returned it with a larger one. "It's just us two now."

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 **To Be Continued**

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 **Author's Notes: Thanks for reading.**


	2. Part 2: New Messages

**Disclaimer(s): K-On! rightfully belongs to Kakifly** **© Alternate Universe.**

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 **Part 2: New Messages**

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Ritsu's POV

I heard muffled voices from a distant – there were so many I could not even pinpoint what they conveyed. "Help!" Someone screamed somewhere but all of a sudden, he was stopped with loud thuds and heavy groans. _I slept for hours_ , _I think_. It was dark outside. "Mio," I called my wife as I turned on the switch but the light was still out. I then took my phone. "Great," I tched, given that it was dead. I heard some shouts again, all together with sirens – _it must've been Toshio._ He loved his damn TV loud no matter many times we argued but this time it was a little louder than usual. "Fuck him, it's not like Shion is sleeping here tonight," I snapped and I remembered the fight we had early this morning. I got here from work around two and they were gone – _they must've arrived in Kyoto_.

"You have ten new messages." I put on my jacket as I touched the button, waiting for the machine to play them. "Ritsu, can you-I'm sor-call me back," her voice rang across the kitchen as the next two messages were played soon after. I heard several gunshots from the street just before I reached the third one. _I can't stop thinking of my family the moment I heard her_ – even more when people kept crying around her, on the other side. I took my handgun and I quickly rushed to open the front door, revealing some people encircling or clawing a car. I was about to call them when one of them turned, observing me hungrily. His skin was pale, his two eyes lost their colour and he groaned heavily. His skin fell, bit by bit, as he merely dragged his feet towards me. "Hey!"

I froze immediately at the sight of that monster. I did not run – I did not even struggle even when somebody pulled my collar by force, draggling me back into the house. "You're fucking stupid," she cursed breathlessly while we laid our backs against the door. The thing just pounced it over and over again. I doubled up the effort to hold the door as she left to grab a chair. I slowly let go once she barricaded the door with it. "I'm Yui, so umm, nice house," she introduced herself whereas I frowned in return. In the twinkling of an eye, it came from nowhere. I shot it – _its leg, its arm, but it's still moving_. "Its head! Shoot its head," Yui said and I aimed for its head simultaneously. The shot killed it. We backed away as its brain trickled down to the floor. "Now we're even," she chuckled lightly soon after.

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"I love you." I kept replaying the tenth message, her last word – it was short but it was more than enough to break my heart. Yui gobbled everything she could find in the fridge and I got up to grab my duffel bag. "What's going on?" I asked as I filled it with all the guns I had. Yui shrugged. She did not even look away from the fridge. "Holy shit!" she mumbled as soon as she looked at me reloading the guns one by one. She grabbed a kitchen knife and she shied away until her back hit the wall. "I'm a cop," I confessed. She blinked once, twice, before she let up, falling down laughing, dropping the knife. "I thought – when you shot that thing, I was afraid of you two. I don't know, I just hate people with guns," she said while I was busy stocking some food and drinks. Yui looked lost somehow.

I sighed. _No wonder she said nothing in the last thirty minutes_. "Hey," I said as I threw a fully loaded handgun into her lap. She frowned at once. "This is the end of the world. So you might as well need one," I assumed as I pulled the blind, revealing an empty street – _well, almost_. I headed upstairs for my car key straightway and the phone, in case she called. "Shit, shit," I grunted in frustration once I noticed that I had about thirty missed calls, twenty from her. I gave her a call and I stopped at nine as she did not pick up. "What do we do now?" Yui asked shortly. I was relieved to see that she held that gun instead of tossing it away, although a bit shakily _. I think of Mio and Shion_ – _the only purpose I have in life_. "Kyoto." Yui nodded. I sighed. "Do you have a family in the area?" I asked in a while.

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 **To Be Continued**

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 **Author's Notes: Thanks for reading.**


	3. Part 3: Nightmares End

**Disclaimer(s): K-On! rightfully belongs to Kakifly** **© Alternate Universe.**

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 **Part 3: Nightmares End**

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Ritsu's POV

"Oh, I see. This is where it came from," she remarked as we crept to the back door. It was partly open. I noticed one of them came up to us and I waved at Yui, motioning her to turn back. "They outnumber us three to one most likely," I stated whereas I looked at the street through the keyhole. Yui, on the other hand, went over her phone for the nth time. "You're waiting on a call," I gave in. **_No_** – _I don't believe it_. Yui laughed as she put it away. "I, I got a call from my sister hours ago. She promised to call back at five but she didn't. I drove for miles and miles until I reached her university – it was overrun. It was hell. I think I lost her," she admitted quietly. I was speechless for a moment then I pried the door, turning the knob. "You see. Nightmares end," I reminded her.

"We need to live with ourselves once this shit ends," I talked calmly as I hit the door, drawing one of them. I then waited until it came near enough and the moment it did, I draggled it inside. "Dang, is this your fetish?" Yui asked while I took off my belt. I hit her twice before I tied it to a shelf. _I don't know what's up with her_ _but I sure hate the idea she gives me._ "We're going to a place filled with them so we might as well understand them," I told before I grabbed a flashlight hastily, turning it on, pointing it to its eyes. Yui scoffed. "She's dead – don't you get it? She's dead!" she exclaimed and I snatched her collar right away. I shoved her up against the wall. "I told you. We have to live once this shit ends, you stupid," I spoke as I tightened my hold on her.

"You tell me, Yui, do you want to live the rest of your fucking life – _thinking_ she's dead?" I pried in a half whisper. She looked down all along. "You can live, friend, if and only if you _know_ ," I concluded as I slowly let her go. She nodded before long and I proceeded the task at hand – _study the monster_. "It's responsive to light but I guess in night-time, above all. We must avoid gunfire at all costs as sounds draw it the most," I listed while I examined it spontaneously. Yui suddenly winced and I drew my gun. "I just cut myself," she admitted sheepishly as she kept peeling the mango she took from my fridge earlier. I set my gun down as I noted that I had to be careful since it was not a good option right now. "So, how will this little experiment help us?"

"It helps us a lot since now we know they see us the way we see them," I revealed while I examined it – _it was Toshio_. "It's good to know that it can tell us apart due to our appearances and not from our body heat." I stood. Yui came near it. It suddenly moved violently all of a sudden. "You're still bleeding and blood agitates them," I pointed out and she backed away at once. I drew a knife soon after and I stuck it into its head. "We'll find your sister before sunrise – alive or dead." Yui nodded spontaneously and I cut my neighbor in pieces curtly, tearing his guts. I then rubbed them all over Yui while she held her breath, trying hard not to vomit. "This is the least I can do for now to save us tonight," I said as she sucked up her tears. _It's fun until it's my turn_. "I hate you, Yui."

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"We gotta walk from here," I told as I turned off at the tenth exit – we were about five or six miles away from the entrance to the university. I used the night-vision binoculars to take a look around us. "The walkers," Yui stated all of a sudden and I looked at her in pure irritation – she kept giving them names. "Yeah, right, and if they run?" She laughed quietly at my remark. It was as if I was the silly one out of us two. "You know, chief, they don't run, they _walk_ faster," she stressed and I said nothing in reply _. I'm not arguing with her_. "I'll cut the fences and we'll slip through the field straight into the backdoor," I planned as I rummaged my bag for pliers. I looked at my gun, hoping we would get along without it. "You keep it in case we part ways," I spoke as I gave away the binoculars.

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 **To Be Continued**

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 **Author's Notes: Thanks for reading.**


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